Obruni in Ghana

Coming to Accra makes you realize that we use terms without actually knowing if they apply to the situation, or not. Urbanization is one of them. We say that urbanization is the trend in Africa (and the rest of the developing world). Well, in Ghana, not really. It’s more of a rural movement to the cities. People come to Accra to live their rural lives in the urban setting. I didn’t do any research on this, but from the conversation I’ve had and from the observations I’ve made, I’d guess that it’s because they believe that there’s bright future waiting for everyone in Accra (and while it’s certainly easier to find a job here than in the North, for example, it’s not true for everyone, hence all the homeless people and beggars, but that’s another story).

People actually move here without making any changes to their lifestyle. Hence all the goats and hens on the streets of Accra, or cows at bus stations. People move their rural lives to Accra with all that a rural life takes, all the animals, all the things they were used to. They don’t urbanize Ghana, they ruralize the city. And I might just have coined a word. :-)